MEDICAL DEVICES

IN VITRO DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL DEVICES

Recitals 21 - 30 (MDR)

 

(21) It should be made clear that it is essential that devices offered to persons in the Union by means of information society services within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2015/1535 of the European Parliament and of the Council 14  and devices used in the context of a commercial activity to provide a diagnostic or therapeutic service to persons within the Union comply with the requirements of this Regulation, where the product in question is placed on the market or the service is provided in the Union.

 

(22) To recognise the important role of standardisation in the field of medical devices, compliance with harmonised standards as defined in Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council 15  should be a means for manufacturers to demonstrate conformity with the general safety and performance requirements and other legal requirements, such as those relating to quality and risk management, laid down in this Regulation.

 

(23) Directive 98/79/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 16  allows the Commission to adopt common technical specifications for specific categories of in vitro diagnostic medical devices. In areas where no harmonised standards exist or where they are insufficient, the Commission should be empowered to lay down common specifications which provide a means of complying with the general safety and performance requirements, and the requirements for clinical investigations and clinical evaluation and/or post-market clinical follow-up, laid down in this Regulation.

 

(24) Common specifications (‘CS’) should be developed after consulting the relevant stakeholders and taking account of European and international standards.

 

(25) The rules applicable to devices should be aligned, where appropriate, with the New Legislative Framework for the Marketing of Products, which consists of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council 17  and Decision No 768/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 18 .

 

(26) The rules on Union market surveillance and control of products entering the Union market laid down in Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 apply to devices covered by this Regulation which does not prevent Member States from choosing the competent authorities to carry out those tasks.

 

(27) It is appropriate to set out clearly the general obligations of the different economic operators, including importers and distributors, building on the New Legislative Framework for the Marketing of Products, without prejudice to the specific obligations laid down in the various parts of this Regulation, to enhance understanding of the requirements laid down in this Regulation and thus to improve regulatory compliance by the relevant operators.

 

(28) For the purpose of this Regulation, the activities of distributors should be deemed to include acquisition, holding and supplying of devices.

 

(29) Several of the obligations on manufacturers, such as clinical evaluation or vigilance reporting, that were set out only in the Annexes to Directives 90/385/EEC and 93/42/EEC, should be incorporated into the enacting provisions of this Regulation to facilitate its application.

 

(30) Health institutions should have the possibility of manufacturing, modifying and using devices in-house and thereby address, on a non-industrial scale, the specific needs of target patient groups which cannot be met at the appropriate level of performance by an equivalent device available on the market. In that context, it is appropriate to provide that certain rules of this Regulation, as regards medical devices manufactured and used only within health institutions, including hospitals as well as institutions, such as laboratories and public health institutes that support the healthcare system and/or address patient needs, but which do not treat or care for patients directly, should not apply, since the aims of this Regulation would still be met in a proportionate manner. It should be noted that the concept of ‘health institution’ does not cover establishments primarily claiming to pursue health interests or healthy lifestyles, such as gyms, spas, wellness and fitness centres. As a result, the exemption applicable to health institutions does not apply to such establishments.

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